3 Paths to More Joy, Love and Laughter
Frank Fitzpatrick 02/14/2020
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As we pursue our purpose in life: to be best version of ourselves we can be, to live healthy and prosperous lives, and to create something great in service of others, we sometimes forget about creating more precious moments of what the world needs most – the medicine of our hearts – a little love and joy. It is very easy to be consumed by the struggles of the day (a sick child, a financial fall, a professional rejection) or a grand mission to tackle global challenges (world hunger, education, poverty). Fortunately, we have been gifted with resources to shift ourselves, and society, from a place of struggle and separation, to a place of greater joy and connection.
How can we create more joy, love and laughter in our lives and the world?
Storytelling: Though great stories – we can bring humor, compassion and joy to ourselves, someone we love, or millions around across the globe. While I have been blessed to be able use film as a storytelling medium, each of us has the capacity to share funny, vulnerable stories with those we know, and to connect more deeply with them through their personal stories. And while quality stories of all genres have value and can be healing and connecting, ones that give us the impetus to laugh together, and see ourselves through a lighter lens, have a very unique effect on our hearts and minds.
Music: I don’t know a quicker way to neurologically create a positive mood shift than through music. Whether we use it to bring more romance to our relationship, motivation to our workout, more life to the party, or to help through challenging times, music is one of the most universal connectors, healers and pathways to joy.
I am grateful to all those great leaders who have created, use and supported music as a force for good, and I invite you to do the same in your lives and relationships. Music is is the subconscious narrative and emotional in any story we watch on the screen and can be used on demand to transform the stories each of us is living in our minds to a more positive place.
Being Joy: How we show up can have a greater impact on the world around us than what we do. One of my dear friends – a successful corporate leadership coach – shared that her identity for her role is a “joy-making machine”. What company wouldn’t want that in their ranks?
How can we show up as joy? How can we share, or elicit others to share, vulnerable and sometimes embarrassing moments? How can we do the hard work that needs to be done, but shift out of the mental struggle, laugh at our imperfections, and celebrate each precious step forward with joy? As crazy as it sounds, simply showing up as the embodiment of Joy or, if we want to go CEO style – a “Joy-making machine”. If any five-year old can do, so can we. From a smile, to a laugh, to a happy dance, to a small act of loving kindness, joy eases the pain by making cure contagious.
If you are looking for a little boost in the Joy, Love and Laughter department this Valentine’s Day, I invite you to check out our new romantic comedy premiering on Netflix this week. It is called Love Jacked and is in the style of Father of the Bride meets Coming to America. While it certainly doesn’t address critical global issues like climate change or education, the right blend of music, love and laugher might help lighten the load and add a little more joy along the path.
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About the Author
Frank Fitzpatrick is a Creative Visioneer, Engagement Expert and High-Performance Coach on the Faculty of Singularity University’s Exponential Medicine.
To connect, go to FrankFitzpatrick.com
To learn more about working 1-on1 with Frank, go to BeyondPerformance.Life
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